FFs Overcome Winter Hardships to Save House from Fire

HARDYSTON — Ice, snow and a lack of water did not deter local firefighters from putting out a house fire on the shores of Beaver Lake Wednesday night.

The first two fire trucks were stuck on icy private roads leading up to the single-story house, so firefighters hauled hoses some 300 yards through snowdrifts to the blaze, according to Frank Lacatena, a spokesman for the Hardyston Township Volunteer Fire Department. Since there was no water source near the site and the lake was frozen, a tanker truck shuttle was set up to bring the water from the Hardyston School more than two miles away.

Overall, some 50 firefighters from Hardyston, West Milford, Lafayette, Vernon and surrounding areas brought the fire under control less than two hours after the initial dispatch, Lacatena said. One firefighter was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries. The house, which was undergoing renovations, was almost completely destroyed. The cause is not considered suspicious, Lacatena said.